25th May 2019 - Andrew

We wake early and complete a complex packing operation to suit our complex day. The Leto makes a pretty good breakfast buffet which we scoff through before leaving for our Delos tour.

We go to the boat to Delos who send us to the ticket booth, we queue there and get sent to another queue where we are given a bewildering collection of tickets and stickers. (Greece uses a LOT of paper except in restaurants where waiter only use mobile phones).

Eventually we get on the boat to Delos with a lot of other tourists of all stripes. The day is windy (I have my first ever hat and feel dapper in it) and the sea is rough and fun. At the sacred island of Delos we get organised into tour groups and assigned to a nice Greek tour guide (later we find out she has a MA in history and archaeology).

She leads us through the ancient city of Delos. Some of the structures here are from 2000BCE but the city was a great capital (and held the treasury of the Hellenistic league) around 500BCE.

This site has never been restored or rebuilt, almost everything has been as it was - it is huge and carries a deep sense of antiquity.

25th May 2019 - Cara

Andrew’s hat is a white boater-style - he does look dapper in it. We meet a Canadian woman introducing her niece and friend (18yo) to greece. Turns out they all have relatives in South Africa who have emigrated years before.

Doing a tour in a group is interesting because of the guide’s knowledge (In Akrotin we almost wished we had a guide because the information was so sparse), but we are rushed from place to place in a crowd - difficult to feel the people of the place and soak in the history.

The houses are higgledy-piggledy with wonderful narrow cobbled roads between them. Houses are distinguished from the shops as they have marble columns surrounding their inner courtyards. The courtyards have beautiful mosaic floors - the Dionysus house has a mosaic of Dionysus and a tiger. Beautiful marble everywhere.

There are ‘guardians’ wandering around blowing whistles if anybody stands on the marble (Our guide tells us you are allowed to sit wherever you want but not stand). The houses have no windows because winter is harsh and you need the protection and warmth. The place has a difficult history. Athenians seem to be the big bad but other have sacked it, removed graves, allowed no one to be born or die there, etc

24th May 2019